People-first Workplaces.

Your company is scaling fast. Your HR should be too.

You're building something real, and your people are the engine behind it. But between hiring, payroll, compliance, and culture, HR has a way of becoming the thing that's always urgent and never quite handled.

That’s where we come in.

Collective HR Consulting is the embedded HR and payroll partner for fast-growing companies that need senior-level expertise without the overhead of a full-time hire. We work directly alongside your leadership team, hands-on, customized, and fully invested in getting it right.

From your first compliance audit to your fiftieth hire, we build the people infrastructure that lets you grow with confidence.

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Where we make the biggest impact

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Hire Well. Keep Them. We help you attract the right people and build the culture that makes them want to stay.

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Built to Scale With You. We build the HR systems, processes, and compliance framework your company needs to grow without the growing pains.

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Culture That’s More Than a Poster. We help you build a workplace where people actually feel it, in how they’re led, supported, and setup to succeed.

HR that covers every stage of the employee journey
From your first hire to your fiftieth, we bring the structure, compliance, and culture-first thinking your team needs to grow well.

Our Services

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    Payroll Management & Multi-State Compliance

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    HR Audits & Compliance Reviews

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    Policy Development & HR Documentation

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    Onboarding & Performance Systems

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    Compensation & Benefits Strategy

  • Employee Relations & Investigations

    Employee Relations & Investigations

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    Terminations, Layoffs & RIF Support

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    Legal Support & Risk Management

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20 Years In the Trenches. Built for Growing Companies.

Hi, I'm Courtney Haigh, FPC, Founder of Collective HR Consulting and your dedicated HR and payroll partner.

I've been doing this work since 2005. Payroll first, then HR leadership, then Director-level roles overseeing multi-site operations and hundreds of employees. I've built HR infrastructure from scratch, navigated complex California employment law, managed difficult terminations, designed compensation frameworks, and guided founders through their very first hires.

I started Collective HR because I kept seeing fast-moving startups make the same costly people mistakes, not because they didn't care, but because no one had built the right foundation underneath them.

I'm here to be that foundation. Embedded in your team, invested in your culture, and fully accountable to getting it right.

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Sound familiar?

You're building something great, but HR keeps falling to the bottom of the list. Offer letters get copy-pasted. Payroll is someone's "other job." Your handbook hasn't been touched since you hired your third employee. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you know there are gaps you haven't found yet.

You don't need a lecture. You need someone who's been here before, who can step in, assess where things stand, and build the infrastructure that lets your team grow with confidence.

That's exactly what we’re here for.

Built for founders who are done winging it

We work best with tech startups and fast-growing companies between 10 and 150 employees, typically at the moment when HR can no longer be an afterthought.

You might be preparing for your next funding round. Navigating your first difficult termination. Realizing your payroll setup won't scale. Or simply ready to build the people foundation your team deserves.

If you're leading a growing team and you want HR that's strategic, embedded, and built around your culture, you're in the right place.

What makes Collective HR different

Senior expertise, fractional cost You get 20 years of HR and payroll leadership experience embedded in your team — at a fraction of what a full-time Chief People Officer would cost.



Embedded, not just advising We don't hand you a report and walk away. We roll up our sleeves, show up consistently, and operate as a true extension of your team.



California compliance confidence California employment law is among the most complex in the country. We know it deeply — and we help you stay ahead of it before it becomes a liability.

Ready to build HR that actually works?

Whether you're starting from scratch or cleaning up a mess that's been building for years, we're here. Let's start with a conversation about where you are and what your team needs most.